Gunn offered up spring fashion tips and answered questions from a crowd buoyed by champagne about "Project Runway," the show that made Gunn a household name.

On the show, Gunn offers advice to contestants competing to be the top fashioner designer, telling them to "make it work" - or more sternly, "Don't disappoint me."

The crowd groaned when he revealed that the show wouldn't be returning to Los Angeles anytime soon, but fans said they were just excited to see the TV icon in the flesh.

"It's cool to see him - and not just on TV," said Glendora resident Makena Carter, 12.

Her sister Kiana Carter, 18, got flustered and starstruck when he called on her to ask a question about what kind of clothes would flatter her figure.

"Don't be afraid," Gunn reassured her. "It's just me."

Gunn has been on the road showing off the latest colorful Kate Spade line with a model in tow, offering up his advice for women - even those self-described "curvy" women who can't squeeze into a size 8.

"If getting fashion right were easy, everyone would look fabulous," Gunn told the packed store on Colorado Ave. "This is a pretty good-looking Kate Spade crowd, but not everyone does look fabulous."

The fans took the critique in stride, applauded the examples of "fabulous" design he pointed out in the crowd and lined up to take a picture with the fashion icon.

"I have to get an autograph," said Patrick Doran, a Pasadena resident, who showed up with his mother Mary.

The two are "huge fans" of "Project Runway" and a brief spin-off "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style."

"I like it for a reality show - it's not just a bunch of people complaining," Mary Doran said.